Concerts of Thursday, May 5 and Saturday, May 7, at 8:00p, and Friday, May 6, at 6:30p. Lothar Zagrosek, Conductor Javier Perianes, piano Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), Opus 27 (1828) Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, Opus 54 (1845) I. Allegro affettuoso II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso III. Allegro vivace Javier Perianes, piano Intermission Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68 (1876) I. Un poco sostenuto; Allegro II. Andante sostenuto III. Un poco Allegretto e grazioso IV. Adagio; Più Andante; Allegro non troppo, ma con brio The concert of Friday, May 6, performed without intermission, includes the Mendelssohn and Brahms works.
Notes on the Program by Ken Meltzer Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), Opus 27 (1828) Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany, on February 3, 1809, and died in Leipzig, Germany, on November 4, 1847. The first performance of Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage took place in Berlin, Germany, on December 1, 1832, with the composer conducting. Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, two horns, three trumpets, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirteen minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: November 20, 1965, Robert Mann, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: April 21, 22, and 23, 2011, Julian Kuerti, Conductor. Felix Mendelssohn first met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) in November of 1821 at the great German author s home in Weimar. On that occasion, Mendelssohn was introduced by his music teacher, Karl Zelter. Goethe was immediately entranced by the twelve-year-old Mendelssohn s precocious talents. Goethe told Mendelssohn: I am Saul, and you are my David. When I am sad, come and cheer me with your playing. Mendelssohn s final visit with Goethe took place in May of 1830. While en route to Italy, Mendelssohn stopped in Weimar. Mendelssohn delighted Goethe now 80 years old with keyboard performances of music by various masters. One of the works Mendelssohn played at the piano for Goethe was the opening movement of Ludwig van Beethoven s Fifth Symphony. Mendelssohn described Goethe s reaction: At first he said, But it does not move one at all; it merely astounds; it is grandiose, and then went on growling to himself, until after a long time he began again: That is very great, quite mad, one is almost afraid the house will fall down; and only imagine when they are all playing together! When Mendelssohn completed his visit with Goethe, the author gave the composer a manuscript sheet from Faust, with the following inscription: To my dear young friend F.M.B., mighty yet delicate master of the piano, in friendly remembrance of happy May days in 1830. J.W. von Goethe. In 1828, two years before his visit to Weimer, Mendelssohn composed a work based upon two poems by Goethe, the Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture. These are the poems that also served as the inspiration for Ludwig
van Beethoven s 1815 Cantata of the same name, scored for chorus and orchestra. In February of 1828, Mendelssohn informed his friend, Karl Klingemann: I have the whole thing already in my head, and the great waves will be represented by double bassoons. Although Mendelssohn completed his Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage that year, the work did not receive its first public performance until December of 1832 in Berlin, with the composer conducting. When Goethe learned of Mendelssohn s composition, he wrote to his young friend: Sail well in your music, and may your voyages always be as prosperous as this one. Below are the original texts (and translations) of the Goethe poems that inspired Mendelssohn s orchestral work. Meeresstille Tiefe Stille herrscht im Wasser, Ohne Regung ruht das Meer, Und bekümmert sieht der Schiffer Glatte Fläche ringsumher. Keine Luft von keiner Seite! Todesstille fürchterlich! In der ungeheuren Weite Reget keine Welle sich. Glückliche Fahrt Die Nebel zerreisen, Der Himmel ist helle, Und Aeolus löset Das ängstliche Band. Es säuseln die Winde, Es rührt sich der Schiffer. Geschwinde! Geschwinde! Es teilt sich die Welle, Es naht sich die Ferne; Schon seh ich das Land! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Calm Sea Deep silence reigns on the water, The sea lies motionless, And the sailor anxiously sees The smooth surface all around. No air from any side! Dead calm silence! In the vast expanse
Not a single wave stirs. Prosperous Voyage The fog disperses, The sky is bright, And Aeolus loosens The fearful band. The winds whisper, They stir the seaman. Hurry! Hurry! The waves part, What is distant now becomes nearer; Already I see land! Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, Opus 54 (1845) Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau, Germany, on June 8, 1810, and died in Endenich, Germany, on July 29, 1856. The first performance of the Piano Concerto took place at the Hall of the Hôtel de Saxe in Dresden, Germany, on December 4, 1845, with Clara Schumann as soloist and Ferdinand Hiller, conducting. In addition to the solo piano, the Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is thirty-three minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: November 27, 1948, William Schatten, Piano, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most recent ASO Classical Subscription Performances: March 20, 21, and 22, 2008, Nicholas Angelich, Piano, Hugh Wolff, Conductor. Robert Shaw Performances (Classical Subscription, unless otherwise noted): November 21, 22, and 24, 1968, Lilian Kallir, Piano; November 25 and 26, 1968, Lilian Kallir, Piano (Tour, Macon, GA, and Moultrie, GA); December 1, 2, and 3, 1983, Murray Perahia, Piano; January 16, 1984, Jeffrey Kahane, Piano (Tour, West Palm Beach, FL). Robert and Clara On September 12, 1840, German composer Robert Schumann wed his beloved Clara Wieck (1819-1896). The marriage took place over the strenuous objections (and interference) of Clara s father, the music teacher, Friedrich Wieck. Wieck may well have been concerned that his daughter s marriage to Schumann would curtail Clara s established career as a prominent concert pianist. Robert s marriage to Clara seemed to inspire the young composer s creative powers. In the year of their marriage, Robert Schumann composed some 150 songs, including the glorious cycles Frauenliebe und -leben (A Woman s Love and Life) and Dichterliebe (A Poet s Love).
The following year, Schumann focused his energies upon the composition of orchestral music. In 1841, Schumann completed his joyous Spring Symphony (No. 1 in B-flat Major). In March of that year, Schumann wrote in his diary: My next symphony will be called Clara and in it I will paint her portrait with flutes, oboes, and harps. That Clara Symphony never came to be. Rather, in May of 1841, Schumann composed a Fantasy in A minor for piano and orchestra. On August 13, 1841, Clara Schumann performed the Fantasy during a rehearsal with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. Schumann s many attempts to secure publication of his Fantasy proved unsuccessful. A few years after composing the work, Schumann wrote the following in an article that appeared in the journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik: And so we must await the genius who will show us in a newer and more brilliant way, how orchestra and piano may be combined, how the soloist, dominant at the keyboard, may unfold the wealth of his instrument and his art, while the orchestra, no longer a mere spectator, may interweave its manifold facets into the scene. Happy as a king That genius proved to be none other than Robert Schumann. In 1845, Schumann added two movements to his original Fantasy in A minor. As Clara Schumann wrote in her diary: (The Fantasy) has now become a concerto that I mean to play next winter. I am very glad about it for I have always wanted a great bravura piece by him. The following month, Clara enthused: I am happy as a king at the thought of playing it with orchestra. Clara Schumann was the soloist at the December 4, 1845 premiere of her husband s Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra. The first performance took place in Dresden at the Hall of the Hôtel de Saxe, led by the work s dedicatee, conductor Ferdinand Hiller. On New Year s Day, 1845, Clara Schumann played the new Concerto with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, again under Mendelssohn s direction. In many subsequent performances of the Schumann Piano Concerto, it was Robert who served as conductor/accompanist for his wife. After Robert s tragic death in 1856, Clara Schumann assumed an even more active presence on the concert stage. Throughout the remainder of her life, Clara remained a staunch advocate of her husband s music, with the Piano Concerto constituting a prominent staple of her repertoire. In his book, The Great Pianists, New York Times Music Critic Emeritus Harold C. Schonberg includes this touching eyewitness account of one of Clara Schumann s final performances of the work: She was greeted with long-continued applause. She seated herself at the piano, and after half a dozen elusive settings of herself and shaking out her gown, just as the conductor was about to begin, she popped up and went among the instrumentalists, in order to give a special direction to the first oboe for a certain passage in
which she desired him to follow her. She then came back to the piano and again went through the settling process already experienced. At last she was ready In a letter written to Clara a few years before their marriage, Robert Schumann described his conception of a piano concerto as a compromise between a symphony, a concerto and a huge sonata. I see I cannot write a concerto for the virtuosos I must plan something else. And, despite the considerable technical hurdles for the soloist, there is always an admirable sense of partnership between pianist and orchestra. Further, it is remarkable that even though four years separate the composition of the first movement from the concluding two, Schumann creates an organic composition that proceeds unerringly from start to finish. These admirable qualities, coupled with Schumann s inspired lyrical gifts, produce a sublime work, one of the finest piano concertos of the Romantic era. Musical Analysis I. Allegro affettuoso The Concerto opens in dramatic fashion, with a forte orchestral chord, immediately followed by an emphatic descending passage for the soloist. The oboes, supported by the clarinets, bassoons, and horns, sing the espressivo principal theme, soon repeated by the soloist. Instead of the traditional second theme, Schumann offers a major-key transformation of the opening melody, played first by the soloist, then by the clarinets. A brilliant sequence for the soloist and a vibrant orchestral outburst conclude the exposition. The development opens softly, in a slower Andante espressivo, cast in 6/4 time. The soloist, in conversation with the winds, offers a lovely variant of the principal theme. The calm is shattered by a reprise of the Concerto s opening measures, now in the form of a dialogue for soloist and orchestra. The soloist and flutes then offer a passionato version of the melody. The recapitulation omits the fiery opening measures, and proceeds directly to the central theme, again played by the oboes. After a brilliant cadenza (fully transcribed by Schumann), the orchestra offers the central theme in the guise of a march. A concluding upward passage for the soloist and four orchestral chords bring the opening movement to a close. II. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso The brief Intermezzo is cast in A B A form. The soloist, in dialogue with the strings, presents the charming opening theme, derived from the ascending portion of the principal melody of the first movement. The cellos launch the more rhapsodic B section. The soloist ultimately reprises the opening theme. Toward the close of the Intermezzo, the winds offer a tantalizing hint of the Allegro s principal theme. This leads to the finale, which follows without pause. III. Allegro vivace The soloist introduces the finale s joyous principal theme, again related to the principal melody of the opening movement. The strings offer a furtive presentation of the syncopated second theme, repeated in a more stately manner by the soloist. A final, robust statement of the opening theme concludes the exposition. The development section opens with a brief fugato episode for the strings, soon dispelled by a charming duet for the oboes and
soloist. A passage initiated by the horns precedes the orchestra s fortissimo recapitulation of the opening theme. The finale concludes with an expansive coda, in which the soloist takes center stage, closing with a dazzling, ascending flourish. Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68 (1876) Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, on May 7, 1833, and died in Vienna, Austria, on April 3, 1897. The first performance of the Symphony No. 1 took place in Karlsruhe, Germany, on November 4, 1876, with Otto Dessoff conducting. The Symphony No. 1 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings. Approximate performance time is forty-six minutes. First Classical Subscription Performance: April 30, 1949, Henry Sopkin, Conductor. Most Recent Classical Subscription Performances: November 6, 7, and 8, 2014, Marc Piollet, Conductor. Robert Shaw Performances (Classical Subscription, unless otherwise noted): February 7, 1975 (Tour, Columbus, GA); March 18, 19, and 20, 1982; October 20, 21, and 22, 1983; November 22 and 27, 1983 (Runout, Thomasville, GA, Gainesville, GA); March 21 and 24, 1984 (Tour, Helena, AK, Aurora, IL); June 10, 1984 (Atlanta Parks); September 17, 18, and 19, 1987; October 4, 1987 (Special); February 2, 1988 (Tour, Tampa, FL); May 25, 1988 (Tour, New York, NY). Brahms and the tramp of a giant As early as 1853, prominent musicians, Robert Schumann included, urged the young Johannes Brahms to try his hand at symphonic composition. Brahms, however, resisted the call. In 1870, Brahms wrote to conductor Hermann Levi: I shall never write a symphony. You have no idea the likes of us feel when we hear the tramp of a giant like him beside us. Here, Brahms referred to the great shadow cast by Ludwig van Beethoven and his epochal Nine Symphonies. Some biographers believe that Brahms may have begun as early as 1855 to work on what would become his First Symphony. We do know that in 1862, Brahms shared a draft of the proposed opening movement both with pianist Clara Schumann and conductor Albert Hermann Dietrich. On September 12, 1868, Brahms sent Clara a letter, containing an alphorn melody to which he set the following words: Thus blew the shepherd s horn to-day. High on the mountain, deep in the valley, I send you a thousand greetings. That melody appears as the great horn call in the slow introduction to the finale of the C-minor Symphony. It should also be noted that during the lengthy period Brahms wrestled with the creation of his First Symphony, he did successfully compose for orchestra. Perhaps the two Serenades (1858 and 1859) and the sublime Haydn Variations
(1873) helped to steel Brahms s courage and resolve. Three years after the Haydn Variations, Brahms finally completed the C-minor Symphony. Brahms was 43 years old. The November 4, 1876, premiere took place in Karlsruhe, under the direction of Otto Dessoff. Beethoven s Tenth Although Beethoven had been dead nearly half a century when the C-minor Symphony premiered, comparisons with the man Brahms called a giant were inevitable. The Brahms First presents a dramatic journey from C minor to C Major, as does Beethoven s Fifth. A four-note motif, also reminiscent of the famous opening theme of the Beethoven Fifth, plays a prominent role the first movement. A friend of Brahms noted the similarity of the finale s principal theme to the Ode To Joy in Beethoven s Ninth. To this observation, Brahms responded: any ass can see that! The eminent conductor, Hans von Bülow, dubbed the work Beethoven s Tenth. Although Bülow certainly meant that as a compliment, it provided Brahms no great satisfaction. For Brahms s part, it seems that the completion of his First Symphony liberated him from the paralyzing specter of Beethoven s imposing legacy. Three more Brahms Symphonies followed over the ensuing decade each, like the first, a monument of the late 19 th -century orchestral repertoire. In time, it became abundantly clear that in his Four Symphonies, Brahms, a musical descendent of Beethoven, spoke very much in his own voice a voice of Romantic lyricism, passion, and grandeur. Musical Analysis I. Un poco sostenuto; Allegro The opening movement begins with a dramatic, slow introduction (Un poco sostenuto), featuring the timpani s relentless hammerblows and hints of the ensuing Allegro s thematic material. Another brusque chord launches the Allegro proper and the strings forte presentation of the ascending and descending theme that forms the nucleus for all that follows. After a lovely horn solo, the strings play a lyrical variant of the principal theme. The agitated descending passage that concludes the exposition is once again related to the opening theme. The development section opens in mysterious fashion, but the storm and stress of the exposition soon return, leading to a powerful recapitulation of the main theme and its transformations. The movement concludes with a coda of melancholy resignation. II. Andante sostenuto The first violins and bassoon play a tranquil ascending and descending theme. This theme is once again related to the principal melody of the opening movement, as is the plaintive solo for oboe. After an agitated central episode, the concluding section features an extended, shimmering violin solo. III. Un poco Allegretto e grazioso Instead of the traditional robust scherzo, Brahms substitutes a graceful intermezzo for the Symphony s third movement. The clarinet sings the main theme of a movement that prominently features the
winds throughout. A stately episode leads to a reprise of the principal melody. The peaceful closing measures set the stage for the high drama that follows. IV. Adagio; Più Andante; Allegro non troppo, ma con brio As with the opening movement, the finale begins with an extended, slow introduction (Adagio). After a brief descending passage by the contrabassoon and lower strings, the horn and violins play a motif that foreshadows the finale s majestic principal melody. Pizzicato strings lead to a reprise of the motif. The tension builds to a climax, capped by a massive timpani outburst, over which the horns play the alphorn melody Brahms first shared with Clara Schumann (Più Andante). The flutes impart a different character to the melody, after which the bassoons, contrabassoon, and trombones intone a stately chorale that will return toward the close of the Symphony. After a brief pause, the principal section of the finale begins (Allegro non troppo, ma con brio), as the strings play the broad and majestic principal theme. After a repetition by the winds and brass over pizzicato accompaniment, the full orchestra offers a blazing version of the theme. A series of subsidiary themes follows. Instead of the expected development section, Brahms offers a restatement of the principal themes, as well as music from the introduction. The tension mounts a final time, and a glorious restatement of the chorale leads to the triumphant closing measures.